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MAKUENI PARAVOLLEYBALL TEAM ROARS IN KITUI ON MASHUJAA DAY

As part of the #MashujaaDay2025 celebrations, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Arts, and Sports invited the Makueni Paravolleyball Team to Kitui for a friendly match against their Kitui counterparts.

The Makueni team triumphed with an emphatic 3–0 sets victory, earning a cash award of KES 500,000. This outstanding performance underscores the county’s growing sporting prowess, powered by strong grassroots governance and talent development structures, a key pillar of Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr administration.

We proudly celebrate the Makueni Paravolleyball Team as true #Mashujaa

MAKUENI OPENS THE FLOOR TO CHILDREN’S VOICES WITH LAUNCH OF KENYA CHILDREN’S ASSEMBLY

The Government of Makueni County has taken a significant step in strengthening child participation in governance following the launch of the county chapter of the Kenya Children’s Assembly.

The Assembly is a structured platform that brings children together to deliberate on issues affecting their lives, including education, health, protection, and overall wellbeing. It mirrors formal governance systems, with elected child leaders taking up roles such as Governor, Speaker, and Clerk—offering young people a practical introduction to leadership, representation, and democratic processes as well as influence child policy development.

The establishment of the Makueni chapter means that children in the county now have an organized avenue to participate meaningfully in development. It also opens the door for their representation at the national level, where they join peers from across the country to engage on broader issues and contribute to national discourse.

The launch was graced by County Executive Committee Member for Gender, Children, Youth, Sports and Social Services Eng. Sebastian Kyoni, alongside officers from the State Department for Children Services, at Wote Greenpark on Tuesday.

Makueni Opens Doors to The First Community-Led Development School in Africa.

Makueni on Thursday opened doors to one of its kind, a community-led development school and the first in Africa at Wote.
The school seeks to train citizens, community leaders, civil society professionals, and government officials from across the county and the country at large to ensure that every person has a voice in decisions that affect their lives.
It will also provide a platform to strengthen the capacity of county officials and community members on how they can be involved to localize sustainable development blueprints by the county.
While presiding over the inaugural function, Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr described the school as timely, adding that the center will offer collaborative learning that will be demonstrating the power of government-civil society partners.
In his keynote address, John Coonrod, vice president of the Global Hunger project and the founder of Movement for Community-Led Development (MCLD) lauded the county community-led development aspect, saying that it’s the only way to structure society consistently with human dignity as it moves decision-making closer to the people.
Governor Kilonzo re-signed a M.O.U with John Coonrod where its collaboration includes fundraising for county development initiatives, capacity strengthening of county departments on proposal writing, and fundraising among other key areas.

MAKUENI ONCE AGAIN SHINES AT DEVOLUTION CONFERENCE WITH GAME-CHANGING DIGITAL SURGERY TECHNOLOGY

Governors from across the country turned their focus to cutting-edge healthcare innovations at this year’s Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, engaging in peer-to-peer learning on digital surgery and health equity.

Once again, Makueni County stole the spotlight, earning glowing praise for pioneering the use of Proximie technology in Kenya.

The innovative system uses cameras, speakers, and computers connected via the internet to link operating rooms with specialists anywhere in the world.

Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili walked fellow governors through Makueni’s transformative experience with Proximie, explaining how it enables real-time consultation during surgical procedures, regardless of distance.

Dr. Shannon Shibarta, Head of Global Proximie, hailed Makueni for its trailblazing role, noting that the county’s success story is now inspiring medical professionals as far afield as East Africa.

Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o pledged to be next in line to adopt the cloud-based system, promising to bring the innovation home to his people.

Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, who chairs the Health Committee in the Council of Governors, revealed that the council is ready to explore partnerships with vendors willing to supply the costly high-end equipment on a pay-per-patient model, making adoption more affordable for counties.

MAKUENI ONBOARDS 49 INTERNS, PROMISES MORE OPPORTUNITIES.

The County Government of Makueni has welcomed 49 new interns into its ranks, marking another key step in equipping young people with practical skills for the job market.

The cohort, comprising 28 men and 21 women, including three persons living with disabilities will be attached to various departments to learn from seasoned professionals.

Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili, while officiating the induction meeting, lauded the programme as a launchpad for the interns’ careers, noting that it is tailored to give them the hands-on experience needed to thrive in the workforce.

Mulili further announced plans to re-advertise an additional 49 internship positions in departments that received low applications during the recent recruitment drive.

Among those who attended the event were CECM Education, ICT and Internship, Japheth Mang’oka, Chief Officer for Education Irene Makau, and Chief Officer for Budget, Socio-Economic Planning and Revenue Boniface Mutua.

Makueni on the right track for effective implementation of nutrition programmes

Nutrition International country director Martha Nyagaya has lauded Makueni County for the implementation and effective use of funds in its primary health programs addressing malnutrition.
Martha spoke while addressing a meeting between Nutrition International and Makueni health officials on the implementation status of projects supported by NI.
In 2019, the county secured Sh. 30 Million in funding to scale up efforts towards the fight against malnutrition especially stunting which has reduced from 25.1% to 20% according to Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (2022 KDHS).
The grant is complimentary to the county’s Sh 36 Million for the same cause as per the joint Nutrition financial agreement meant to actualize the implementation of the County Nutrition Action Plan (CNAP) that was unveiled in 2019.

MAKUENI ON HIGH ALERT AS MPOX CASES SURGE

Health officials in Makueni County are urging residents to remain vigilant as cases of Mpox continue to rise, placing the region among the most affected counties in the country.

According to County Chief Officer for Health, Dr. Harvey Mulei, the disease is spreading at an alarming rate, with new infections reported across the county.

He emphasized the need for residents to exercise caution in their daily interactions to curb further transmission.

The county epidemiologist, Dr. Pius Mutuku, confirmed that Makueni has so far recorded 36 cases, ranking it fourth nationally after Mombasa (193), Busia (69) and Nairobi (56).

He revealed that 80% of the local cases are concentrated in Kibwezi West sub-county, particularly along the busy Nairobi–Mombasa highway with Emali town emerging as the hotspot.

Since the first case was detected in July last year, the disease surveillance and public health team has been conducting contact tracing and collecting samples from suspected patients.

Dr. Mulei noted that while healthcare workers in the county have been trained to manage the disease with the support of partners, stronger interventions from the national government,local and international partners are urgently needed to contain the outbreak.

He added that plans are underway to scale up public awareness campaigns and establish isolation centres for confirmed cases.

Makueni County is also working closely with the North Star Alliance, to provide targeted health services to truckers, community and sex workers at Emali.

Clinical officer Kennedy Kibiwott from the organization highlighted that their peer-led model has played a critical role in reaching key populations that would otherwise avoid seeking screening and treatment.

MAKUENI ON FIRE: FOOTBALL, VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL AND HANDBALL TEAMS REACH KYISA SEMIS

Makueni men’s football team has advanced to the Kenya Youth Inter-County Sports Association (KYISA) Games semi-finals after withstanding intense pressure from Mandera to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory in their quarter-final clash. The boys displayed unmatched prowess, delivering a performance worthy of a final before the final.

In men’s volleyball, Makueni cruised past Meru in straight sets (3-0) to also book a spot in the semi-finals during their early morning fixture.

In basketball, Makueni edged out Siaya with a 59-55 win, while the men’s handball team defeated Laikipia 28-24 to cap off an impressive day across disciplines.

Makueni on course towards food and nutrition security, says Kibwana

Makueni County on Wednesday played host to the 2019 World Food Day national celebrations usually marked annually on 16th October.

The objective of the celebration is promoting worldwide awareness and actions for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security and nutritious diet for all.

The event staged at Kwakathoka was graced by among others; Principal Secretary for Crop Development and Agricultural Research Hamadi Boga, governor Kivutha Kibwana, and top national officials of FAO and WFP.

Kibwana outlined notable milestones achieved by his administration in a quest to improve food security and enhanced incomes:

  1. The identification and promotion of four key agricultural value chains; fruit, dairy, indigenous chicken and green grams. The value chains have substantially been streamlined from production to value addition including processing through development of Makueni fruit processing plant which is still under development to ensure enhanced return on investment; support to development of dairy aggregation across the county and processing plants at Kikima and Kathonzweni; the on-going development of a poultry slaughter house at Kitise and a grain processing plant at Makindu. This will ensure better quality and safer foods for the consumers while increasing the incomes to farmers.
  2. Improved accessibility and affordability of agricultural inputs through linkages such as DigiFarm and KCEP-CRAL in collaboration with Safaricom and IFAD respectively, and the establishment by the county government of non-interest fund (Tetheka Fund) to enhance credit for agriculture and trade.
  3. Water harvesting programme dubbed “Kutwiikania kiw’u “and subsequent food security programme “Operation Mwolyo Out (OMO)- One acre rule”. The strategy entails construction of farm ponds at farm level for the production of quality and nutritious food for the households. The strategy promotes the establishment of dairy, poultry, nutritional garden among others within one acre of land.
  4. Enhanced agribusiness and youth involved in agriculture, a programme co-funded by world food programme and my Government.
  5. Establishment of crop and livestock pest and disease surveillance and their control programme.
  6. Promotion of climate smart agriculture in collaboration with FAO, to improve productivity and profitability and therefore enhance resilience among vulnerable communities. Some equipment used in the programme will be presented to the County in this event.
  7. Construction of fresh produce markets, stock yards, and establishment of market linkages to enhance returns to the farmers.
  8. The development of an Agricultural Training Centre (ATC-Kwakathoka). This institution hosts demonstrations in appropriate agricultural technologies as well as offering Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education Training (ATVET) services targeting our youth and other agricultural producers.
  9. The establishment of County climate change policy and board which strives to reverse environmental degradation and ensure protection of water catchments areas.

MAKUENI, NYS ROLL OUT ROAD UPGRADE IN 8 WARDS

Makueni County has kicked off a major road maintenance program targeting eight wards, thanks to a new partnership between the county government and the National Youth Service (NYS).

Beginning in Wote and Ilima Wards on Wednesday, this initiative follows a recent agreement between Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. and the NYS, known for its disciplined workforce, precision in project execution and use of well-maintained machinery.

NYS’s reputation in road construction stems from its elite training programs and efficiency in delivering durable, high-quality infrastructure.

The wards set to benefit from this countywide road upgrade are: Wote-Nziu, Muvau-Kikumini, Mbitini, Kasikeu, Ilima, Kee, Kithungo-Kitundu and Mtito-Andei.

Each of the eight wards will receive a grader, while one ward will also benefit from a shovel to aid in the works.

The equipment will be used over at least 220 working hours to rehabilitate roads that were damaged or rendered impassable by the recent heavy rains.

The improved roads are expected to ease transport for farmers delivering produce, boost trade, ensure better access to schools and health facilities, and support general mobility for residents attending social functions.

This joint effort marks a significant step in improving rural infrastructure and bringing essential services closer to the people of Makueni.